Introduced to Jesus

 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9

I grew up going to church and hearing about God. I heard stories about this God-Man named Jesus along with stories of many other faithful people throughout the Bible who placed their faith in this God, and many others who suffered terrible consequences for not being obedient.

Growing up, my dad would read a bedtime story to me and two of my sisters. As we grew, we transitioned from the Alice in Bibleland series to a book called A Closer Look at Evidence by Richard & Tina Kleiss.

One night, after my dad finished reading this book, he asked us girls, “Do you know Jesus as your personal savior?”

One sister said yes, another said no and had no interest, but while my answer was no, I said, “But I want to.” I didn’t fully understand what all this meant, only that I needed this Jesus in my life.

My dad led me through a prayer right there to receive Jesus into my heart. As I prayed there was a transaction that occurred: I gave Jesus the key to my heart and I gained the Holy Spirit (and I cried).

But by the very next morning, I was already under an attack by Doubt. Was I truly saved? How could I know for certain? Did I say the right words? Did God truly love me?

During a day at the lake, I even looked at the apparent freedom of the world and thought, “Life would be so much easier if I wasn’t a Christian.” But immediately after I was convicted by another thought, “How could I deny the God I knew was real?”

Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Only two things God requires of us to be saved, which we see demonstrated by the thief on the cross in Luke 23:39-43:

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

To declare with your mouth: To admit verbally, outloud to another person that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, the only means by which we can enter heaven - no actions of our own could ever qualify us.

To believe in your heart: To have that private moment between you and the Lord where there is that transaction of surrendering your heart to God and receiving Him into your heart.

I did this when I admitted I wanted to know this Jesus as my personal savior, recognizing I needed Him to save me, and I said the prayer my dad led me through; and during that moment where I surrendered the key of my heart to Jesus and He entered in.

The thief did this as he rebuked his fellow criminal in recognizing that Jesus hung on that cross for us though He had done absolutely nothing wrong (v41); and when he turned to Jesus and asked to be remembered by Jesus in heaven (v42).

This remembrance in Greek is not a passive happen-by-chance-thought, it is a purposeful and active effort to remember. Which Jesus assured the thief that it would be so because that very day they would be in paradise together.

In the same manner, from the moment we are saved, admitting our need for a Savior and accepting Jesus into our hearts, God assures us that if we were to die at that very moment, we would be going immediately into heaven.

This post is a beginning of a series I will be doing to share my testimony and walk with Jesus.

All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless noted otherwise.

Two Little Words

 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. - Colossians 1:15-17

“Through” and “In” are two little words, two sweet little words. One is long and lanky, vowels bordered and guarded by tall consonants on either end. The other is sweet and short and seemingly so very simple. But both provide so much important information.

Through is a pathway that has a starting point and an endgame in mind, but most importantly Through has a means of process. Something goes through something to get from point A to point Z. All the BCDEFG etc. and so on. Through begins, ends, and finds its process in Jesus, the Alpha and Omega (Greek A and Z), the first and the last (starting point and endgame), the Beginning and the End (Genesis to Revelation) (Revelation 22:13). In John 1:3 we see creation was made through Jesus:

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (emphasis added).

In is orderly and has strict boundaries. Operating within a specific frame. In never crosses boundaries though it sometimes relates to something outside its realm, something that happened somewhere else, something that happened in the past, something that will happen in the future. When In stays within its boundaries everything is as it should be, but when boundaries are crossed In becomes Out and Out is never good.

Out is never inline, never obedient, never abiding by the rules, never abiding in Christ, never where it should be. Out claims it has the right to go here, be there, do that, do this (1 Corinthians 10:23), so Out never has to listen to Almighty God on high. On the other hand, Out doesn’t feel like it can ever belong, be good enough, doesn’t qualify, too terrible to ever be loved by our compassionate Heavenly Father.

But in Colossians 1:16-17, Paul writes: “For in him [Jesus] all things were created… and in him all things hold together.” (NIV emphasis added).

Though in sin the things on earth have stepped Out of bounds, that doesn’t change the fact that all things were made for Him [Jesus]. Jesus invites us back in, to step through the doorway whose posts and lintels are painted with His blood as the Israelites painted the doorposts in Egypt (Exodus 12:7). Jesus invites us into the water and blood that gushed from His side on the cross and to be washed clean as the Israelites passed through the Red Sea. Jesus invites us to dwell with Him forever in a place He has prepared for us as He brought the Israelites into the promised land that He had prepared for them.

We no longer have to remain Out, we can come In. Jesus has left the door wide open.

By abiding in Jesus we are enabled to live through Him.

Higher Ground

 Growing up, I did not consider much what all the lyrics to the hymns actually meant. I heard some truths reflected in the songs as they reiterated verses from the Bible, but truthfully I was usually more drawn to the tunes than the words themselves. But as I've come to pay more attention to lyrics in general, I have also received a ministering from God as He used, not only the melodies, but also the words to comfort me in my darkest moments, uplift me into His love, and encourage me on His paths.

The hymn Higher Ground displays this act of leaving behind our own efforts and seeking a higher way, gaining new heights every day (see verse 1 below) as we learn more about God and His ways.

For it isn't until we humbly admit that nothing we could do, gain, or hold here on earth could ever provide a stable foothold, can we begin to so desire the solid foundation that is found in Christ alone.

To remain grasping at things of the world, whether that be a relationship title, a certain amount of money, a job position, etc., will only always lead to constant doubts and fears. Doubts that these can sustain us, fear of what will happen if they are lost. So all our energy is spent rebuilding this shaky foundation and making sure we don't lose what we've already gained.

However, there is a solid foundation that will never crumble underneath are feet and we can never lose - His name is Jesus.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” - Jesus in John 10:28

In Colossians 3:1-2 it says that if we have been raised with Christ (been saved) than we should seek the things that are above (in heaven) because that is where Jesus is sitting at God's right hand:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

When we seek “to live above the world,” unbothered by all the troubles here, no longer striving after everything the world says you need, but filled with the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) - then Satan begins attacking us.

Satan doesn't want us to hear “the joyful sound, the song of saints on higher ground” (verse 4), he wants our focus on everything that could go wrong, dismayed by everything that is going wrong in the moment, and burdened by everything that has already gone wrong.

For Satan came to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). He wants to steal our joy in Jesus, to kill our hope of salvation, and to destroy our relationship with the God of the universe who desires to be called our Father and to call us His children.

So how do we battle these attacks from Satan? How do we overcome the wear and tear his fiery darts have on our being and lives?

By praying. The first and fourth verses and the chorus all end with a prayer to God to “lead me on” or “plant my feet on higher ground.”

And by setting our eyes, our focus, our perspective on heaven, God's plans, and the ultimate outcome of what will certainly come to be.

Maybe now we cannot see how things could possibly get better. Maybe we are still thinking that all is lost or too far gone. And that is okay, but now is the time to let go of the dismay and fears, because trusting God is laying all these things we don't understand along with all the best case scenarios we could imagine at God’s feet and saying:

“I don't know how you will redeem this moment. This is the best outcome I can imagine. But I am going to trust You with however this turns out because You are more than capable of making something good out of this. For it is written that You make everything beautiful in its time” (see Ecclesiastes 3:11).

1 I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining ev'ry day;

Still praying as I’m onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:

Lord, lift me up, and let me stand

By faith, on heaven’s tableland;

A higher plane than I have found,

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

2 My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where these abound,

My prayer, my aim, is higher ground. [Refrain]

3 I want to live above the world,

Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught a joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground. [Refrain]

4 I want to scale the utmost height,

And catch a gleam of glory bright;

But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,

“Lord, lead me on to higher ground.” [Refrain]

 - Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman, Jr. and Charles H. Gabriel

Test All Things

 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out of the world. - 1 John 4:1

I have a lot of fears, and slowly God is working to address those fears. A couple of my fears are asking questions - because I think I already know the answer or have to know the answer - and learning more - because I think it will be too much for me to handle or it will prove what I know false.

But as I read A Skeptic's Search for God by Ralph O. Muncaster this weekend, I learned how Muncaster not only asked all the questions and sought out all the answers, these questions and answers convinced him of the necessity of a God and that God was the God of the Bible.

Muncaster did this in a few steps over the years. He began with studying what it would take to make the simplest cell, even the hypothetically simplistic cell an evolutionist believed would have been the first cell to come into being by chance. Muncaster discovered the chances of such a cell occurring by chance was impossible “without divine intervention” - a.k.a. God.

Muncaster then studied the prophecies of the Bible verifying that only God could have fulfilled these prophecies and that the prophecies had indeed been fulfilled 100% just as God said they would come to be. This proved that not only was the Old Testament legitimate, but also that Jesus was indeed God.

Lastly Muncaster verified the authenticity of the Bible, both Old and New Testament, from archeological findings, other historical documents, and the oldest copies of the biblical scrolls we still possess today that have been preserved over the years, just as the Jews still live among us today.

As a result, Muncaster went from being an atheist - a person who believes there is no God - who had grown up in church and disbelieved the Bible to being a Christian.

While his motivation was originally to disprove what others said about there being a God and the Bible, he eventually took up God's offer in 1 Thessalonians 5:21a to “Test all things” (NKJV).

I'm learning to start asking questions and how to find the answers. Will you join me in taking up this challenge to test all things and every spirit? Because as John warns in his first letter, “many false prophets have gone out of the world” (1 John 4:1).

John goes on to encourage us on how to discern if what is being taught is from the Spirit of God: “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:2).

Is there a subject or belief that feels like it will be disproved if it gets dug into? Anything that feels too fragile? Something that feels safer knowing less rather than more?

May I challenge you to join me as I too start to ask questions and dig deeper. May our hearts humbly accept when our beliefs were misplaced, and may our faith be strengthened as we better understand the truths we have been holding onto and as we discover new truths to cling to.

Burdens

 ¹Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. ²Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. ⁴Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵for each one should carry their own load. ⁶Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. - Galatians 6:1-6

Receiving discipline is hard, knowing how to deliver discipline can be just as hard. This passage in Galatians is only one area in the Bible that instructs on how to handle discipline. As I worked on writing my newsletter on how God is Jealous, I noted that God’s jealousy drives Him into action to address sin and since the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we too should be jealous on His behalf and should drive us to address that sin.

However, jealousy is a consuming flame and if we aren’t careful can turn into a wildfire that consumes not only us or even the person caught in sin but others as well. The thing about wildfires is they simmer out of view and by the time the wildfire reaches someone’s attention, it’s already blown out of proportion. Which is why understanding how to manage this flame is important, and the tool Paul informs us to use is gentleness.

I have been harshly rebuked and with that rebuke came an accusation that I was not saved. This rebuke had blindsided me, and had blown out of proportion. As a result, we were both burned.

Since then, I have considered what it means to discipline with gentleness.

Gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit. According to a note on Biblehub.com, this gentleness is a “power with reserve” and “begins with the Lord’s inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment.”

Being gentle doesn’t mean we are weak, but we know how to control that strength so we don’t crush others. That beginning inspiration from the Lord is His call to action to rebuke the sin, and that’s where we are in danger of stopping listening to God, sidestepping Him, and taking the matter in our own hands according to what we think is best.

I believe this is why Paul warns us to watch ourselves (v1b) so that we don’t get tempted to take matters in our own hands, following only the passion this jealousy for God drives us to do. But to remember to trust God with the process.

For God will finish the work He started (Phil. 1:6). But the way He chooses to get there may be much different than our earthly minds can make sense of. For God calls us, through Paul, to carry each other’s burdens.

There are two different types of burdens in this passage, and it is important to note that the two “burdens” are two different Greek words. This first one is “baros” (v2) and is a weight and “carries personal and eternal significance,” implying a responsibility that is expected of someone to keep or someone holds according to their status, and also the weight of our reward (2 Cor. 4:17) - which is the result of us acting upon our responsibility.

The second is “phortion” (v5) and is a burden that “is not transferable, i.e. it cannot ‘be shifted’ to someone else.” This is the burden used to describe the standard we must keep in order to be saved. The standard that Jesus gives is light (Matt. 11:30) but the standard of the law - given by the religious leaders of His day - is heavy (Matt. 23:4, Luke 11:46).

The burdens we are called to carry are the former. The responsibility we hold as children of God, the standards of walking with Jesus, the results of our expectations. When we live out a role that is contrary to our title and our footsteps lead us away from God, and when we try to force results apart from God's power, we sin. These burdens are all ones Jesus carries for us: He gives us the right to be called a child of God, He leads us into His ways, and He fulfills the desires of our hearts as He knows best. Yet when someone tries to carry it themselves, we are called to come alongside them, lifting that weight up to God on their behalf (1 John 5:16) until the issue within their heart can be addressed.

Later in verse 9, Paul encourages us not to weary in doing good because even though we can't feel it or can't see it, God is still working, He's moving things into place, He's preparing, and when the time is right, He will bring about the result.

For this bearing of one another's burdens fulfills the law of Christ, the commandment He gave to us: to love one another (John 15:12). For jealousy is born out of love.

An important thing to remember is that though God may have chosen to address this issue through us, it is still God who works, provides the means and guides through the process, and also brings about the result. For Paul then warns about thinking too highly of ourselves and therefore deceiving ourselves. We are not God, we are not anyone’s Savior, neither are we the Spirit who teaches and transforms people's hearts, sanctifying them before God.

We should test our actions, the things we are doing and saying. Are they motivated by our own ideals and what we think is best? Or are we following God’s lead on the matter?

For only then can we take pride in ourselves (v4). Not according to our actions, words, or accomplishments, but according to our obedience to God. Neither can we compare it to anyone else because sometimes what God asks of us seems less important, impressive, or even impactful than what someone else did. But it’s not a competition nor so much about what was said, done, or accomplished but whether or not we were obedient to God.

Because each of us is called to carry our own load (the latter of the two burdens). The load we carry for ourselves is the yoke Jesus placed on our shoulders (Matthew 11:30). The status of our salvation and our responsibility of obedience is between us and God. A one-on-one relationship. This yoke binds us to Jesus, who bears the weight of our sins and makes us right with God. This yoke allows the Spirit to guide us into obedience while relying on Jesus’ strength.

So what is Jesus’ yoke? His command? To abide in His love (John 15:10) and to love others (John 15:12).

Therefore, we must be careful on which burdens of others we are trying to bear because it is not our responsibility to save them nor condemn them. For “whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18).

The judgment we are prone to give is not necessary, for our sin already speaks against us. We are called to love, not to allow or enable them to continue in the sin, but to guide them under God’s direction back into His truth and ways.

After much prayer about a woman I had recently met with whom I noticed an issue, God did not give me words to speak about the problem directly. Instead, He changed my perspective to help me see the love she possessed as a child of God and the ways she is walking with the Lord. Whether this answer was a “no” or “not yet” has still to be determined, but He has used this experience to address an issue of my own heart before addressing her issue as Jesus warns us not to do in Matthew 7:4-5 and Luke 6:42.

Finally, the one who had been caught in the sin should share with the teacher everything that was learned from this process, all the good that came out of this experience. For this not only solidifies the lesson learned, it provides a comfort to the teacher that the pain they caused in the rebuke - no matter how gentle they tried to make it - was not in vain, but produced growth and good.

"Jesus is my..." Sweater

 

I received the sweatshirt (pictured above) yesterday, a couple weeks late as it was supposed to be given at a Christmas party for which I couldn’t attend because I was sick. I wanted to go down that list here and expand on who Jesus is to me:

• Jesus is my God - He is my creator who purposefully designed me to reflect Him in a unique way in a combination of strengths and weakness, personality traits, and abilities.

• Jesus is my King - He reigns over my life, He is the one that sets the rules, defines my boundaries, and oversees everything He has placed within my bounds.

• Jesus is my Lord - He is the CEO of my life, my boss, the one that assigns my life-given tasks, who placed the dreams on my heart, who guides me through each step of the process.

• Jesus is my Savior - He took my sin, my shame, my guilt, my trespasses, all the errors of my ways, nailing them to the cross where He dragged them into hell’s depth with Him, where He abandoned them to be consumed forever by hell’s flames, then He rose and washed me with His blood and dressed me in His righteousness so I can stand beside Him before God.

• Jesus is my Healer - He tends the wounds of past hurts, He mends my ways, He turns me around and transforms my perspective to see as He sees, to see the direction He leads and the path I am to walk.

• Jesus is my Refuge - He is my safe retreat, the one to whom I can share all my worries, woes, and wonders, and He is my way of escape from the temptations I face.

• Jesus is my Provider - He gives me what I need, when I need it, and exactly how much I need, nothing is ever wasted, neither is there ever any want.

• Jesus is my Strength - He bolsters me up and encourages me along the way, He gives me strength to face and take on the challenges before me.

• Jesus is my Defender - He guards me from evil, not allowing anymore than I can handle into my life, He is my shield that blocks the attacks of the enemy, what He allows to pass only makes me stronger.

• Jesus is my Protector - He is my mighty fortress whose walls are impenetrable, whose foundation is secure, and his ramparts are armed with legions of angels of light that drive back the darkness that closes in.

• Jesus is my Peace, my Joy - He takes my fears, my anxieties, my sadness, He holds them in His hands and reminds me He is in control and loves me no matter what.

• Jesus is my Life, my All - He is my reason for living, the purpose of my life, the driving force of my actions and words, the only thing that truly matters, and the only one that defines me.

• Jesus is my Everything - He is all of the above and everything else, He is yes and almighty, He is humble and gentle, He is Lord of all and He is my dear friend who meets me right where I am, He oversees my whole life yet never neglects a single detail of my life.

Who is Jesus to you?

Special and Unique Love

 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them… All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. - 1 Corinthians 12:4, 11

I have always thought if something is to be fair or equal, then it has to be exactly the same. But when I read what Karen wrote in Pressing Pause warning about playing favoritism, she wrote: “God can impart to us a love for each of our children that is special and unique without being preferential” (emphasis added).

Special and unique.

When I was in my early twenties the youngest of my brothers got married. A few months later they had big news - they were pregnant (at least my sister-in-law was). I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to reel in my envious spirit with a prayer to God to help me to be happy for them. Because inside I was struggling with the question: “Why them? Why not me?” To me, they were living the life I thought I wanted and needed.

Recently though I have been learning how much God knows the deepest, true desires of my heart much better than I do. He knew my brother and sister-in-law were what the other needed. The two children they have are special blessings (and sometimes challenges) He has designed especially for them.

Likewise, God’s special and unique love for me meant saying no to a gift I saw someone else get because He knew that wouldn’t have brought the same joy to my heart and praise to His glorious name. Yet He still met my desire for a child in the way He saw was best. Today, I have the honor of sponsoring three little girls across the world, and the pleasure (and mess) of working in a daycare.

These gifts and ways God met our desires were different but are working to produce the same result: a rejoicing in our heart for God's provision and praise to His glorious name. For God knew the most impactful way to reach our hearts in order to draw us closer to Him and deeper in His love.

My nephew and niece are different in a variety of ways. One loves canned baked beans, the other does not. Showing special and unique love means serving the one child baked beans, while withholding the baked beans from the other child. In some eyes this may seem unfair, even sometimes in the receivers. But even the withholding is honoring the latter child’s preference, and leaves space for them to receive something they truly enjoy.

So what makes things fair? Or equal?

With Christmas approaching, I noted my brother and his wife’s goal of spending only so much money on each present. They also made a point in saying sometimes one present would go over that limit but another might go below that limit. I found that same fluctuation around my own limit happening as well. Part of me worried about the “unevenness” of my giving.

But what if the value isn’t in the dollar amount or receiving the exact same gift as the person next to us? What if the value is instead in how much we value the present we have received, and the equal or fairness comes from how much I love this sweater as much as you love the socks you received?

The same goes for the gifts, skills, talents, and blessings God gives us. Instead of looking at what everyone else has and is getting or even able to do, what if we were to look at what is already in our hands? What are we receiving that to us is just as precious and amazing as the other person’s gift is to them? What are the things we are capable of doing to glorify God and share His love and truth?

All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless noted otherwise.

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